Derry and Shelbourne a cut above the rest

FITTINGLY, as the National League exposed itself jive to the television audience for the first time, it was the most revealing day of the season. It showed that these two are a cut above the rest, it showed what a good product the domestic game can be when presented properly and most of all, it showed what a good team Derry City are.

The game had a bit of everything. It began at a cracking pace, Derry striving to slow down the tempo set by Shelbourne by standing over the home side's set pieces and stalling on their own. It even lulled, came vibrantly to life again as Shelbourne came within a missed penalty of delivering perhaps a decisive double whammy.

Coming within two minutes of the predatory Stephen Geoghegan's breakthrough on the half hour, Damien Richardson later rued Greg Costello's penalty against the butt of the upright as the turning point of the game. It probably was.

Derry's second half comeback was their fifth of the season in Dublin at Shelbourne twice, Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's. That's why they only need six points from their last four games - the next three of which are at the Brandywell - to prove that they have been the best this season.

As it was they looked the likelier winners for much of the second half. Costello, one of the league's best players, had an off day, perhaps the result of the triple changes in personnel caused by the destabilising injury to Declan Geoghegan, later compounded by the departure of Mark Rutherford which left Shelbourne without a recognised left sided player.

In any event, Costello's third missed penalty of the season was compounded three minutes into the second period by the under hit back pass which slipped through Alan Gough's legs as Gary Beckett pounced, the latter steering home the equaliser from the tightest of angles.

Shelbourne then came apart in a way that Derry would surely never do. That old cliche about keeping your shape is something Felix Healy's team do better than anyone. Shelbourne lost theirs, holes appearing all over the place.

Liam Coyle began to drop off and turn, which is when he's at his most dangerous, and use his Cantona like vision. Beckett ran everywhere, winning corners on opposite flanks in quick succession and with Peter Hutton running unchecked from midfield the Shelbourne back four assumed a ragged look.

Shelbourne did pick up the cudgel again as Tony Sheridan and then Pat Scully were pushed forward, the introduction of Dave Smith's pace giving them some insurance against Derry's dangerous counter attacks. But Derry held out without undue bother and were definitely worthy of this crucial point.

All told, Tolka Park on Saturday reflected well on all concerned, from the Shelhourne ground staff, the two teams and a good referee through to RTE's coverage and even the excellent choice of Pat Dolan as co-commentator - better informed and possibly more interested than the great Gilesy himself.

It hardly seemed credible that Derry would ultimately be straining for victory when they stared down the double barrel of a 2-0 deficit. Shelbourne had exposed the one relative weakness in Derry's make up when making their defence turn.

Facing the ball, especially in the air, the Paul Curran Gavin Dykes partnership are as good as anything around but when they are made turn by good passes or nippy strikers, they struggle. The ability of Stephen Geoghegan and Dessie Baker to turn Dykes, in turn as it were, led to both the opening goal and the penalty as Shelbourne took them to the brink of defeat.

Ultimately however, as is widely thought throughout the domestic game, you always have a chance against Shelbourne.

They can crack and sure enough they did. Meantime, Derry kept their shape and played as a team more so than Shelbourne, and more of their players rose to the occasion. James Keddy had a fine game, doing more than anyone to bring the ball down and apply some creative football.

All the while too, Paul Hegarty held the team together from his holding role in midfield; doing the bits and pieces work, winning balls, breaking up Shelbourne's rhythm, helping out crucially in defensive and decorating some sound distribution with one excellent, crossfield, counter attacking left footed pass. He's a good player.

And Derry are a good team. Felix Healy belongs to the Alex Ferguson school of post match summaries (added up at the end of the season, Derry should probably have acquired 99 points) and he was perhaps stretching it a bit when he said they "murdered them (Shelbourne) in the second half".

But he's probably also right in saying too much has been made of their five 1-0 away wins since Christmas and "we're a better team than they're given credit for."

In many ways this was Shelbourne's and Derry's season in microcosm. As we said here before their second meeting of the season, with Shelbourne the highs are arguably higher (and this was more arguable on Saturday) but the lows lower.